Connecting to an FTP site Using WS_FTP LE
WS_FTP LE is a shareware, limited edition, version of WS_FTP Pro that is made available free to educational users, government employees (U.S. local, state, federal and military) or to non-business home users.
In order to connect to an FTP site you must first have WS_FTP LE installed on your computer.;;
Step 1 - Connect your computer to the Internet. You can use any Internet connection, including AOL 4.0 or later.
Step 2 - Launch WS_FTP LE by clicking on the 'Start' button and then selecting 'Programs', then 'WS_FTP', and then 'WS_FTP95 LE'.
Step 3 - Setting-up your first profile.
When WS_FTP LE first launches, it opens the Session Properties window.; Here is where you select which FTP site you want to connect to for this 'session'.
All the information within this window is necessary to establish a connection with an FTP server on the Internet. With WS_FTP LE, you can save all this information in what is call a 'Profile'.
The first time you launch WS_FTP LE, the default 'Profile' is for Ipswitch, the makers of WS_FTP LE. You will see all the necessary information for connecting to Ipswitch's FTP site, ftp://ftp.ipswitch.com.
For now, you do not need to worry about every field that appears in the Session Properties window.; What you will need to know are the following attributes:
| Profile Name |
This is a nickname of sorts, within WS_FTP LE<br>for your 'Profiles' so that you can easily distinguish one from another. |
HostName/
Address |
This is the Internet address of the FTP site you want to connect to.; For this field, you leave off the 'ftp://' prefix of an FTP site address. |
| User ID |
This is the first half of theUser ID/Password pair needed to obtain access to the files on an FTP site (i.e. the 'key' to the filing cabinet).; If a site is open to the public, the User ID is 'anonymous'. |
| Password |
This is the second half of the User ID/Password pair needed to have access to the files on an FTP site.; If a site is open to the public, the Password is your e-mail address or any xyz@xyz.xyz combination. |
This all you need to know in order to connect to an FTP site. So that you can learn how to connect to different FTP sites, let's create a new FTP site 'Profile'.
From the Session Properties window, click on the New button.
All fields should go blank. Now you can create a new FTP site 'Profile'. The following information is what you need for an 'anonymous' FTP connection to ftp://ftp.FTPplanet.com.;
| Profile Name |
Your Company |
Host Name/
Address |
yourdomain.com |
| User ID |
username |
| Password |
yourpassword |
Note: if you check the checkbox next to 'Anonymous', WS_FTP LE will automatically fill in the User ID and Password.
The Session Properties window should now look similar to this:
Now click the Apply button. Congratulations, you have successfully created and saved you first 'Profile' in WS_FTP LE.
Now Click on the OK button and WS_FTP LE will connect you to the FTP site DaySite has set up for your website; If you have speakers on your computer, you'll hear the sound of train when you've successfully connected.
The window name should read, 'WS_FTP LE yourdomain.com'. The pane on the left is a view of the files on your computer or your 'Local System'. The pane on the right is a view of the files on the you're connected to or the 'Remote Site'.
To upload files to the server, navigate to your file using the green arrow in the upper left hand corner of the left pane. Once you have found your file, highlight it, then click the arrow pointing to the right (--];) located between the two panes.
Your transfer will begin and should be finished within a few seconds.; Again, if you have speakers set up to your computer you'll hear a sound confirming the transfer is complete. Congratulations, you have successfully transfered a file using WS_FTP LE!
You should now see the file you transferred from your 'Local System' (left pane) to the 'Remote' or 'Server' (right pane).
The default view of your Local System (left pane) is 'C:Program FilesWS_FTP'. You can move up to 'C:Program Files' by double-clicking the green up-arrow.; To move up to to 'C:', double-click the up arrow again. To change to another drive letter, scroll down and double-click on any available drive.
To close your connection click the 'Close'button in the bottom left-hand corner.;
To connect to another FTP site click on the 'Connect' button in the bottom left-hand corner (this button changes to 'Close' when you're connected). To set-up a new profile, follow the previous steps, substituting the FTPplanet.com information with the information for your new FTP site.
